


Returning to Thornfield Hall

by ahunmaster



Series: Office AU [35]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Office, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempted Sexual Assault, College, Depression, F/M, Fights, Flashbacks, Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Mild Language, OCs - Freeform, Original Character(s), Past Rape/Non-con, Rape/Non-con Elements, Self-Harm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-20
Updated: 2015-08-20
Packaged: 2018-04-16 06:35:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4614939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ahunmaster/pseuds/ahunmaster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thornstriker recalls old memories when everything changed between her and Bloodshed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Returning to Thornfield Hall

**Present Day**

Thornstriker slowly lowered herself into the bath.  The water was just hot enough that it was comfortable, but not too hot that it was unbearable.

 

As she sat down on the bottom, Thornstriker couldn't help but be amazed at the tub. Compared to the small shower stand they had at their apartment, Bloodshed's father Bombrush was like a king to them if they were compared by their bathrooms alone.

 

Still, she and Bloodshed never bothered to use Bombrush's personal bathroom, even though they were staying at his house temporarily due to a roach infestation at their apartment complex.  They had their own and she did not wish to bother her boyfriend's father by being in his room.

 

But even though they tried their best, it was still hard to live their normal lives living with Bloodshed's father.  Remembering that night Bloodshed had gotten cuddly with her after some TV program that turned into an intimate moment... Thornstriker brought water up into her face as if to wipe away the embarrassment of being caught by Bombrush.  It was partially their fault for forgetting that Bombrush did get late night drinks every so often, but it was still hard for all three of them the week after.

 

Now that Bombrush was staying at his girlfriend's house helping her overcome mono, they had more privacy to themselves and Thornstriker, after peeking into the bathroom out of curiosity one day, decided to try out that spacious tub one Friday afternoon.

 

And she had to admit, the bath was something the professor wished she had tried out before.  It was curved just right for her to sit in and relax in the water.  The bath also had jets and a heater to keep the water warm.  There were other features that she couldn't figure out, but Thornstriker did not want to dwell on what other features the Chief Financial Officer might have added to this suspiciously spacious tub.

 

Leaning back, Thornstriker began to rub the warm water into the areas that weren't in water.  She had come in here to relax, but all she could think about what Bloodshed.

 

Her lover had been working hard for the past week, a huge project in the city keeping him away for most of the day.  Today was especially hard since he had to stay the last night and today to help finish it up.

 

Bloodshed had called earlier to say that he wouldn't be home in time for dinner.  There was still no set time, but Thornstriker felt lonely waking up in the house with no one else.

 

Unconsciously, she rubbed over her forearms.  Though the physical scars were gone, the petite man could still feel the sting and burn on them from years before.  In that period of his life, in their third year of college, Thornstriker had hit the lowest point of his life.  Even more than when his parents died.

 

**Past time (reminiscing)**

 

_Thornstriker and Bloodshed had been friends since middle school.  They had been friends long before Bloodshed lost his mother and Thornstriker lost her grandparents.  It was a strange friendship, starting out with the kind Thornstriker offering to sit next to Bloodshed in class instead of her other friends._

_Then as they got older, their relationship changed.  Bloodshed, the once small and weak boy, matured quickly in high school into having the body of a man and the mind of an angry and rebellious teenager.  Thornstriker, however, did not have the same change and still remained small and weak.  Her only changes were her increased intellect and interest in science and her unlucky streak of attracting unwanted attention.  But still, despite their differences, both remained friends.  Best friends even. No matter how different they were or how different their main group of friends were, they were close. Even going to the same university after they graduated high school._

_Rather than leaving to attend prestigious academies elsewhere, Thornstriker choose one close to home and her brother Airstream while Bloodshed was able to get into the same university.  They, along with their common friends, rented out an off-campus house to share._

_Bloodshed and his friends, Nebula and Novabomb, were more likely to be hanging around the two campus having fun while Thornstriker was working in the library or in science lab with her common-major friends. But even with their lives so different, both still had and made time for each other.  Bloodshed was the one to invite Thornstriker along to some free event to have fun and Thornstriker was more than willing to stay up and help Bloodshed (and sometimes the other two) with a paper due the next morning._

_But on that winter break in their third year, around the time of Bloodshed's twenty-first birthday, everything changed between them.  It tore them apart and it almost destroyed them._

 

**Past time - Third Year, Winter break**

 

Thornstriker looked over her paper, double checking her edits and stuck on one citation she wasn't sure she did right.

 

She had stayed during winter break to past another two classes.  While her studies in science and math were top notch, she still needed to pass a few other classes and she had been stuck taking this winter's offered English class to stay on track for graduation.

 

The other problem was that her brother, Airstream, had moved out of their old apartment to move in with his boyfriend, Wheeljack.  Airstream wanted to keep the apartment for Thornstriker to come home to, but she didn't want Airstream to spend his income on another place that no one would be using often.  Besides, she was used to being on the college campus most of the year.  Her scholarships paid for it and she had all she needed there.

 

Looking over the same problem for the fifth time, Thornstriker put it away.  She had finished the final paper for his class, but she was so paranoid that he had finished it early.  Like a whole week early.  Now she was stressing over every little thing because she wanted the good grade to keep her GPA up and scholarship money coming.

 

She then remembered that Bloodshed was much better at English writing than her.  He had offered some helpful advice on previous writing papers.

 

Stepping out of her room, Thornstriker looked to the only other occupied room on this side of the house.  Still closed.  Bloodshed usually kept the door open slightly if he was back.  He must have still been out partying with his friends.

 

Thornstriker sighed and returned to put her stuff away.  The younger man had just turned twenty-one recently and he and his two friends had gone out to celebrate his coming of age.  Knowing them, Bloodshed would be drunk and probably pass out by the time they got back.  She was afraid for him too, having heard all those stories of twenty-one-year-olds dying on their birthday shots and such.  But she knew Nebula and Novabomb looked out for their friend.  They would most definitely make sure he wouldn't get too hurt.

 

SLAM

 

Thornstriker looked up from her folders as she heard heavy shuffling.  She looked back out to see two small figures carrying the familiar form of Bloodshed, who didn't seem coherent enough to stand up by himself.

 

"What on earth-?"

 

"Sorry about this, but could you help?" Novabomb asked, smiling as he struggled to keep Bloodshed steady.

 

Seeing the difficulty both smaller forms were having, Thornstriker offered what little help she could, giving them enough extra support to throw the drunken twenty-one-year-old onto his bed.

 

"God damn it, I'm never gonna get the smell out of these jeans." Nebula looked down at her dark purple jeans, which were covered with very suspicious stains.

 

"What happened?  I thought you said you would make sure he wouldn't drink too much?"

 

"Yeah, about that." Novabomb seemed to shrug at the question, "We kinda lost sight of him at the party and when we finally found him, he was losing really bad at some beer pong game.  The other guy was tiny, but he could sink it in like a pro."

 

"Ugh, shut it.  I've already got a headache and we still need to drive you up state for your doctor's appointment."

 

"Are you sure you two will be alright?"

 

"We'll be fine."  Nebula waved her off as she headed for her room.  "Besides, if we wait until morning, we'll hit traffic and be late.  And I doubt Novabomb wants to be deemed unstable and unable to attend college."

 

"No, I'm perfectly fine!" the other sang.  

 

A groan came from the other room, their actions clearly bothering the last of the trio.

 

Thornstriker took a quick look back at the taller man.  He looked dishelmed, lying on his side as his bloodshot eyes blinked in and out of focus.  The science major had never seen the other like this.

 

"Sorry to ask you this, but could you keep an eye on him tonight?"

 

Thornstriker nodded as she continued to observe the other.  The classes she was taking only required a few dates to attend.  The rest were all just handing in assignments on time.  Thornstriker only needed to drop off a hard copy of her final paper by the end of the winter class period.

 

"Thanks.  Just make sure he doesn't puke up on everything.  He should probably sleep, but just keep checking to make sure he doesn't choke."

 

"NOVA!"

 

"Anyway, see you in a few days!"

 

After that, Thornstriker was left looking over the drunken Bloodshed on her own.  Mirage had returned home for winter break and the other two would be staying up state for the next few days for personal reasons.

 

She never would have guessed what would happen later that night.

 

**Present Day**

 

Thornstriker woke up.  She must have dozed off.

 

Looking up, she noticed that it was getting late.  She was enjoying herself in the nice bath, but she couldn't wait up for Bloodshed all night.

 

She thought she heard something.  She wasn't sure what it was.  It might have been the heater turning on or something.

 

Still, she moved to turn the heater down and let the jets do their thing.

 

She could relax for a few more minutes before she turned in for the night.

 

**Past time - Fourth year, Near the end of Fall Semester**

 

Thornstriker walked slowly through campus, keeping her backpack close as she walked back from the library.

 

It was almost midnight.  She wished she could have stayed longer, but the closing of campus for some holiday had caused the library, which was usually opened well into the morning, to shut down early.

 

She didn't want to go back to the house.  Even though no one else knew about that event from last year, she had done everything possible to keep things normal while staying away from Bloodshed as often as she could.

 

The poor science major felt sick to her stomach.  After that happened, she still hadn't reported it to anyone.  It wasn't like the other had done it on purpose.  He was drunk and Thornstriker should have been more careful and she could have done something to stop him...

 

But seeing the look on the other's face, when he asked about her and why she wasn't around as often as before...  Thornstriker remembered Bloodshed at the beginning of the month.  He had managed to catch her on campus in passing and tried to strike up a conversation.  It failed, Bloodshed unable to break the wall that Thornstriker had put up.  And even at the end, when Bloodshed mentioned a coffee house event that he thought the other would enjoy attending, she could only apologize and say she couldn't go.  Thornstriker recalled the horrible feeling building in her stomach as she practically ran out on her friend.

 

And poor Bloodshed.  He didn't seem to recall anything from that night last year.  Thornstriker didn't ask, not wanting the other to recall it if he didn't know. She just couldn't bear to see her friend suffer the repercussions of some stupid mistake.  He didn't know what he was doing, he was drunk, and that mistake could cost him the rest of his life.

 

And even still, trying to move away from Bloodshed was difficult.  The other, unaware of what had transpired between them, was greatly affected by the cold shoulder Thornstriker was giving him.  Her excuse of heavier workloads and important teacher conferences were starting to sound like a broken record.  Bloodshed had even begun to search her out in places he wouldn't normally go to.  Last week, the younger man surprised her in the library, awkwardly asking if they could have a little study session.  Thornstriker had said yes to avoid being rude, but she was so nervous and jumpy that it only lasted a short hour.

 

Thornstriker moved to follow the path to the next street.  Rubbing her forehead, she was stressed enough with the end of classes coming up.  She had been diligent enough to get things done ahead of time, but still she sought the refuge of studying for finals to avoid the painful glances of her friend.

 

If she could survive this for another half year, everything would turn around after graduation.  They would go their separate ways; separate lives and that would be that.  Bloodshed would be able to find a job to help him advance and she could finally move on.

 

That was the best option for everyone.

 

"Thornstriker!"

 

She stopped as she heard the familiar voice.  She turned to see who it was...

 

**Present Day**

 

"Thornstriker, you in there?"

 

The professor opened her eyes again.  The jets had turned off automatically and the water was getting cold.  What time was it? She glanced at her phone and took a look. Oh wow, it was almost nine.  She had been out of it for a while.

 

"Thornstriker?" the worried voice came back as the door opened.  From behind the door came the figure of her lover, construction clothes still on and a bag hanging off his shoulders.

 

"Bloodshed?  You're back."

 

"Yeah," the other smiled at the sight of the other being alright.  "We just finished a few hours ago.  I came home as fast as I could.  I got worried when you didn't answer and when you weren't in bed."

 

"S-sorry about that.  I just dozed off for a bit."

 

"Are you okay?"  The other put down his stuff and came over to kneel next to the tub.  "You look a little pale."

 

"I do?  Oh, didn't turn the heater on." She moved to turn the heater on, feeling the warmth return to her toes.

 

"You mind if I join you?"

 

Thornstriker looked up into the serene face of her lover.  His face seemed okay, but Thornstriker could tell from his tense shoulders and stiff neck that he was feeling it after working so hard the past week.

 

"Sure," was all Thornstriker could let out before she was given a simple kiss.  Bloodshed pulled back, picking up his bag to go put it away and prevent less dirt from getting everywhere.

 

As he watched the other close the door, Thornstriker went back to her thoughts.

 

**Past time - Fourth year, Near the end of Fall Semester, Later**

 

Thornstriker opened the door of the house, running in without even bothering to properly shut it.  She was in such hysterics that she didn't think to lock the other out of the house.

 

Instead, she ran to the safety of the bathroom, dropping her backpack in the hall as she ran in and locked it behind her.  With the safety in place, she was able to collect her thoughts. Unfortunately, the trauma of what had happened back on the path caught up with her.

 

She could still feel the touch of those freshmen.  She had seen them on campus a few times, hanging out and doing things such as smoking or talking around a bong.

 

Thornstriker hadn't thought much of them, knowing that college had its ups and downs and that she didn't have the right to call out people because they wanted to have a good time.

 

But when they surprised her on that path, she soon realized just how bad they were.

 

It started off simple, but what seemed to be a simple passing by turned into a nightmare as they began to harass her, talking about her "innocent" looks and such.  She was able to ignore it until one of them grabbed her arm.  She didn't remember much, but she was certain that she tried to get away without any luck.

 

By some miracle (or curse), Bloodshed appeared and beat them up.  Thornstriker didn't know if Bloodshed had just been walking by or was coming to get her, but the younger man seemed to lose it.  Thornstriker remembered having her sleeve ripped and a few bruises, but at the sight of Bloodshed losing his cool had caused her to run.

 

She thought she heard the other call after her, but not wanting to see if she was being followed, Thornstriker just ran and ran.  The house was the only safe place for her to go and the bathroom was the first haven she had seen.

 

She ended up vomiting whatever was in her stomach into the toilet.  She just wanted it to go away, all the pain, the memories.  When she had realized what they wanted to do to her, she remembered that horrible night and freaked out.  It was still fresh in her mind and she just wanted to forget it again.

 

"Thornstriker!  Thornstriker, damn it, open the door!"

 

She flinched away from the toilet, now panicking as she heard the other knock loudly and rattle the doorknob.

 

"Damn it please let me in!  Thornstriker, just let me make sure you're okay!"

 

"I-I'm fine!" Thornstriker tried to sound reassuring, but her voice cracked in fear and agony.

 

She heard the door knob rattle again, "Damn it, you just got attacked!  Just come out! Please!"

 

She didn't want to hear anymore.  She flushed the toilet to block the other out, but when that only worked for a few seconds, she turned on the shower, covering her ears to block out the other's loud, and soon desperate, calls.

 

She was glad the others weren't there that night.  Novabomb had won tickets to a concert and brought Mirage with him to hang out at the three-day event.  Nebula was outside of the house more, often for days, and this was another one of her adventures.  It was only them again, just like last time.

 

Moving into the shower, still in her clothes, Thornstriker let the water hit her, blocking out all sound to just let her think.  But she remembered that horrible night and soon she looked down at her arms.

 

Her wrists were bruised and her left sleeve was almost falling off.  Under that, she saw black and blue bruises from where she thought her shoulder had almost been pulled out of its socket.

 

But at the same time, she remembered the bruises that Bloodshed had left on her last year, her arms red all the way as the other had held them, making it impossible for her to fight back.

 

She wanted them to go away.  She didn't want to see them anymore.  She just wanted to go on with her life!

 

Grabbing a sponge from the side, she began to scrub at the bruises, hoping she could wash them away.  But they wouldn't go away, not like everything else she had washed away that night.

 

They were the constant reminder afterwards of what had happened.

 

**Present Day**

 

The door opened, nearly giving the woman a heart attack as Thornstriker watched her lover reenter the bathroom.  He was still dirty, but most of the dirty articles were gone, probably in the laundry room hamper.  All that he had was a pair of boxers on, which he let drop.

 

Thornstriker blushed as she moved her gaze to not stare.  When she sensed the other next to the bath, she immediately moved over.  Bloodshed slowly entered the bath, dirt collecting on the top as he sank in next to his lover.  She watched as the other pressed another button, letting the water start to drain and activate the side shower head to clean himself with.

 

She didn't move, only helping out when took control of the shower head to get the filth off the other's back.  Once Bloodshed was decently cleaned, he kept the bath running to get rid of the water as he turned to bring the other into a gentle embrace.

 

Thornstriker let herself get pulled, now situated on the other's lap as the warm water rose again around them.  She didn't know how long they were like this, but soon she was interrupted when Bloodshed pulled her arm out of the water.  Only then did she realize that she had been rubbing at it for some time, making it a slight red from the administrations.

 

Gentle kisses were laid on the arm before Bloodshed brought Thornstriker into a deeper hug.  The smaller woman felt hands go into her, pulling them up into the dark-skinned chest she was leaning against.

 

As the kisses continued on the top of her head, Thornstriker nuzzled in apology into the strong chest.  She hadn't wanted to remind Bloodshed of that horrible event in this setting.

 

"Thornstriker, what's wrong?"

 

She looked up into her lover's eyes.  The love and worry in them made her blush and look away.  "Nothing.  Just thinking."

 

"Thinking about what?"

 

She lied. "Nothing really."

 

**Past time - Fourth year, Near the end of Fall Semester, Much Later**

 

The water in her eyes made it hard for her to see.  She didn't know how long she had been in there for, but she was certain she had scrubbed the scars away.

 

She couldn't feel them on her hands anymore...

 

"Thornstriker!" Before she could figure out where that voice came from, large hands came and grabbed her wrists.  Those same dark-skinned hands from her nightmare.

 

"NOOO!!!" She shrieked and tried to pull back, almost dragging the other man in with her.  Bloodshed was barely staying up on his knees next to the open shower curtain, trying to rip the sponge out of her hands.

 

"Thornstriker, stop!  It's me!"

 

"No!  No!  Let me go!  Let me go!"

 

"Damn it, I'm trying to help you!"

 

"No!!!" Thornstriker gave enough of a pull to finally bring the other into the shower with her, causing the other to lay his chest on her lap.  Her eyes widened and her screams became even more violent.

 

"NO!  NO!  GET AWAY!!!" Now she was trying to push him away.  She was so frightened she was doing little to resolve the situation.

 

"Thornstriker, please stop!  You're hurting yourself!"

 

"No!  No-"

 

"Damn it, look at yourself!" The other held up the hands he was holding.  Thornstriker was forced to see her scarred, bruised arms...

 

Only now the scars were no longer visible.  Her arms were now red, raw, and bleeding.  The sponge Bloodshed had tried to grab from her hand was also red, with what looked to be small specks of skin caught in between.  She couldn't feel the pain...

 

"Eh... ah." She couldn't speak, only falling back into herself again.

 

"Thornstriker.  Thornstriker!"  Bloodshed pulled the smaller woman to him, almost as if the other would drop dead otherwise.  "What's wrong?!  Please.  Please tell me what's wrong?"

 

The concerned voice brought Thornstriker out of her catatonic state.  She remembered the kind Bloodshed who always protected her from bullies, who laughed at her stupid jokes.  So she looked up...

 

... and saw the monster above her body.  It smiled, kissing and licking her as the pain erupted from her lower half.  No matter what she did, no matter what she said or screamed...

 

It devoured her.

 

"AAAHHHHHHH!!!!" 

 

Thornstriker let out one last horrifying scream before she pushed the stunned man away from her.

 

Bloodshed hit the wall hard; a cracking noise came over the running water before another crack.  His knee had flown back with the push and hit his face.  Thornstriker retreated against the other shower corner, too weak and too hysterical to do anything.  She could only murmur out "Don't touch me, don't touch me" as the other man held his broken nose and bleeding head, eyes open and filled with horror and shock.

 

He still didn't know what he had done wrong.

 

**Present Day**

 

"Thornstriker."

 

A hand came up and held her cheek, pushing her to look back at the man who was now sitting up more.

 

"What's wrong?  Did I do something wrong?"

 

Her eyes widened, shocked at the question before she shook her head hard.  She wrapped her arms around her lover's neck and planted kisses to his lips and face.  The other was surprised, but he returned them anyway, holding the other gently to him as the kisses came and came.

 

Bloodshed stopped her.  "Thornstriker?"

 

"It's not your fault." She gave him another kiss before she rested her head into Bloodshed's neck.  "It's not your fault."

 

**Past time - Fourth year, Near the end of Fall Semester, Afterwards**

 

"It's not your fault, Bloodshed."

 

Thornstriker was lying on her bed, arms wrapped in bandages from the work she had done to them a few days ago.  Next to her sitting in a chair was Bloodshed, nose and head bandaged and looking sick to his stomach.  His face was something between horror, shock, and absolute disgust.

 

"Fuck... fuck, I did that to you."  Bloodshed was holding his head in his hands, guilt washed over him like a cape.  The poor man had thought long and hard the past few days after getting hurt by her.  Thornstriker didn't know how or if the other had remembered the truth, but he had somehow pieced together enough to figure out what had happened.

 

She should have known when he saw the other's mortified face when he came by to see her. She should have figured it out and turned him away.  Thornstriker didn't want to face him.

 

"It's not-"

 

"STOP SAYING THAT!" the other screamed out, eyes watering up as he looked up, eyes more red than before, hands open and tense as if he was pleading for his life.  "HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?!  After what I did to you?  Why... Why do you keep saying that?!"

 

"I should have-"

 

"NO!" the other stood up, eyes growing more afraid and... desperate?  Thornstriker couldn't tell.  "IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT! I did this.  Oh Primus, I did this to you."  He turned away, voice cracking as he stumbled around, unable to decide what to do.

 

"You were drunk.  You weren't thinking straight.  You didn't know."

 

"THE FUCK I DIDN'T KNOW!  I HAD TO HAVE KNOWN!  WHY WOULD I EVER DO THAT TO YOU IN ANY- FUCK! FUCK!" Bloodshed paced again before stopping to kicking his chair over, anger and confusion overriding his thoughts.  "WHY WOULD I DO THAT?  WHY WOULD I DO THAT TO YOU?!"

 

"Bloodshed."  Thornstriker was afraid. The only time she had ever seen him like this was when his mother died.  But even then it wasn't as chaotic and vocal as this.  "Bloodshed, don't-"

 

"Oh Primus.  Oh Primus, why?" His voice finally cracked.  The hunched-over figure turned back to her, leaving Thornstriker to only gape in shock.

 

Bloodshed's face looked like it had been to hell and back.  He looked hollow, cheeks narrowed as his mouth quivered while his eyes, oh Primus those eyes.  Bloodshed's eyes were like those who had the life sucked out of them.  They were wide and almost blank, but the torrent of emotion inside them was like a storm.

 

"I hurt you.  I hurt you."  The other wobbled over before he collapsed to the bed, throwing his head onto it and burying his face deep into the sheets.  Thornstriker tried to get him back up, but the only words he could make out were "Primus" and "Why?”

 

"Bloodshed." She tried again, putting her hand onto the other's, who nearly flinched back from it.  "There's nothing we can do about it now.  We'll just move on and that'll be that.  You have your whole life ahead of you as do I.  It's not the end of the world."

 

"You don't understand..." Came in a mumble from the other.

 

Thornstriker watched as the other turned to look at her, eyes so broken it almost rivaled his.

 

"I can't move on from this.  I can't-"

 

"Bloodshed, you have to let it go.  You didn't know what you were doing.  You'll move on.  We'll both move on from this and-"

 

"How can I move on-" his words died out.

 

"You can." Thornstriker couldn't make out what he said after that.  "Yes, you can."

 

"No." The most broken sound she ever heard came from the younger man's mouth.

 

"Why not?" She didn't understand.  She could move on, why couldn't Bloodshed?

 

"How can I move on after I raped the person I loved most?"

 

Thornstriker felt the world drop out below her.

 

Bloodshed...  _loved_ her?

 

**Present Day**

 

"Thornstriker?"

 

She felt arms tighten around her.

 

"Thornstriker.  Please. What-?"

 

"Just love me tonight."

 

The other paused, moving her up to look into her eyes.

 

Thornstriker didn't want to think about it anymore.  She just didn't want to see the other be hurt anymore.

 

What had happened was no one's fault entirely.  It was just life's cruel and twisted way. She hated what had happened, but nothing could change it now.

 

All she wanted to do was feel the love that this man pledged to her every day.  She only wanted to feel the love in and out of her.

 

"Just love me.  Just please... Don't stop loving me."

 

Bloodshed may not have known what was going through her mind, but he didn't ignore her pleas.

 

A long, slow, and passionate kiss was the last thing Thornstriker remembered, their bodies slowly merging together in the warm tub.

 

She woke up a few hours later wrapped in Bloodshed's embrace on their bed.  She wasn't alone anymore.  She wasn't hurt or in pain anymore.

 

She was in the arms of a man who would take on the universe for her.

 

Thornstriker felt her lover pull her closer in his sleep.  With Bloodshed's lips next to her ear, she could hear him whisper declarations of love into her ear.

 

She buried herself deeper into the embrace, letting sleep over take her.  She didn't need to worry.

 

She was loved.

 

END


End file.
